The Blameless Fugitive
by Griffenhippo
Summary: When Harry blows up Aunt Marge, he runs away- and finds the Knight Bus. But what if Stan Shunpike recognized him? And what if...Fudge had a more clever and conniving voice whispering in his ear? Alone and hunted, Harry does what he can to survive. Of course, now he has Aurors, a mad serial killer and his best friends on his trail. Everyone, meet Harry Potter, the blameless fugitive
1. Chapter 1: Conniving Voices

**Summary:**

When Harry blows up Aunt Marge, he runs away- and finds the Knight Bus. But what if Stan Shunpike recognized him? And what if...Fudge had a more clever and conniving voice whispering in his ear? Alone and hunted, Harry does what he can to survive. Of course, now he has Aurors, a mad serial killer and his best friends on his trail. Everyone, meet Harry Potter, the blameless fugitive.

 **Ok- so this story was up for a long time, and I accidentally deleted it...I don't know how or why, but I did. So here it is again, and it's updated whoo hoo! Ok...I am still trying to figure out how on Earth I deleted this story!**

* * *

"What's your name- eh?"

Harry looked nervously around him. "Er- Neville Longbottom."

The wizard peered at him closely, and Harry gulped. Unconsciously, he wiped his forehead, unknowingly allowing the conductor a glimpse of his lightning bolt scar.

"No! No you aren't! Your arry Potter!" The wizard gestured excitedly. "Hey, Ern, guess who we 'ave here? It's 'arry Potter!"

Harry backed away slowly. What if the ministry already had people looking for him? He didn't want to be expelled! No- or worse he'd be sent to prison. Suddenly Harry gulped, and his face turned very white. ' _What if they send me back to the Dursleys- for the rest of my life?"_ No, that would not do. The Dursleys would massacre him- and without magic, Harry would be a lamb served up for slaughter.

So he bolted.

"Hey! Come back here! Ern- 'arry's bolted!"

Harry ignored the shouts behind him, and focused on running as fast as he could with his trunk behind him. Taking a shortcut, Harry ran out of Privet Drive, through the streets, and towards his old school. From there he would assess what to do.

* * *

"We must find him at once! With that murderer out there- Sirius Black….Well who knows what he'll do to Harry if he finds him." Fudge shuddered, and dismissed the Auror that was in charge of finding the boy.

Sipping his tea, Fudge pondered on the enigma that was Harry Potter. He had met the boy briefly when he was a small toddler. James and Fudge had never gotten along, which already went back to their school days, but then, of course there was the lovely Lily Potter to contend with. Her lovely green eyes peered out from this child, but no matter how hard Fudge tried he couldn't like the boy. The child seemed- odd in a way. Like he knew what Fudge really was inside.

When Voldemort had been killed, Fudge had rejoiced. However little Harry Potter still remained. Fudge remembered frowning at the newspapers one morning that had proclaimed his name. This boy- this toddler- in Fudge's mind was a threat, and threats needed to be eliminated.

So, when he found out Dumbledore had taken charge and put the small boy with his muggle relatives, Fudge had breathed a sigh of relief. Years would pass before he had ever thought of this boy again. Once Harry had entered Hogwarts though, Fudge had begun, once again, to get paranoid.

Defeating a troll? Saving the school from a deadly monster? Every year that the boy had been at Hogwarts, the public's admiration of him grew. So Fudge knew he had to get the boy-who-lived in his pocket….before it was too late.

Which brought him to this moment now. Fudge genuinely did not want any harm to befall the boy. However he was annoyed that yet again, this year would most likely focus on the boy-who-lived.

"Minister?"

Fudge snapped out of his reverie, to see Lucius Malfoy standing in front of him.

"Ah, yes, Lucius! Forgive me, I had forgotten I asked you to come here."

Lucius smiled- a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, but a smile nonetheless. "No matter. What is it you need, Minister?"

"Well- as I'm sure you've heard, Sirius Black has escaped. Alas- so has his prime target, Mr. Harry Potter. He performed a bit of magic this afternoon- seems to have blown up his muggle Aunt." Fudge chuckled slightly, thinking of his own youth and the time he had made his cat swell up to twice the size it should have been when it had nearly scratched his eyes out. "Anyway, he's missing, and that simply will not do, not with that murderer out there."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed, and Fudge thought he saw something gleam in there for a second. "Blew up his….aunt did you say? And will he get punished for this? As I recall, Draco who is in Mr. Potter's year is not allowed to do any magic. Blowing up his...muggle aunt no less….well he should get expelled for that!"

Fudge chuckled nervously. "Now Lucius, what would people say! The boy-who-lived expelled? The public would simply not agree!"

Malfoy sat down in one of the opposite chairs. "Yes...but what would they say should they hear that young Mr. Potter blew up his aunt? They might say…..he was going dark."

Fudge stared at him, gobsmacked. _Harry Potter….._ Going dark? No, the thought was simply inconceivable.

Fudge gave a nervous laugh. "If I didn't know any better, Lucius, I'd say that you were going off your rocker. Come now- Lucius, this is Harry Potter we are talking about. The poor boy has saved us more times than Albus Dumbledore! I mean, haven't you heard the stories about his years at Hogwarts?"

"Oh yes, Draco was certainly….informative about them." Lucius said, a sour note in his voice.

Fudge sighed. "Look, even if he was going dark, what could _I_ do? This is Harry Potter. Honestly, this boy is some sort of god to the public."

Lucius raised one eyebrow. "I'm going to be frank with you, Fudge. With all my years as an….imperiused Death Eater, I managed to notice a few things." He shuddered, and Fudge leaned in, his eyes wide, trapped by the soothing voice. "Of what a true dark wizard is. And….Harry Potter exhibits all of them. He is cunning. He can speak parseltongue. And he has the public at his feet. If I didn't know any better- well, Cornelius I'm going to be honest, but I'd say that he's all set to overthrow this ministry."

Fudge spluttered. "Lucius, you must be joking! The boy's 13! And he's a Gryffindor!" However, there obvious doubt in his voice, and Lucius was quick to strike with the final blow.

Lucius leaned back in his chair. "And yet, he blows up his Aunt, possibly endangering her life. Is that any way to treat family?"

There was a long pause, as Fudge's face turned pale. He knew, deep deep down that there was no way that Harry Potter could be dark...and yet he wanted to believe it so badly.

"I….I can see your point. If I could, I would try to get rid of the threat that is Harry Potter. For many years I have thought about somehow proving to the public that he is dark…." Fudge rambled on, oblivious to the fact that Lucius had a half smile on his face.

' _The fool is as gullible as a baby.'_ Thought Lucius with a half smile. ' _All that is left is to propose my plan of action, and then all will be set for the Dark Lord to return without any resistance from that….boy.'_

"If I may interrupt, Cornelius."

Fudge stopped his rant, and sat down heavily, his face slowly turning a normal color again. Tomato red wasn't exactly a flattering color on him.

"Certainly Lucius. We need to find a solution to this, as soon as possible."

"Well Minister, we first need to talk to his friends. If they don't want to give any evidence we can use…..other means. Then, we must talk to the press, naturally. Evidence from his friends will sway the public easily, as you must have experience in." Lucius inclined his head towards Fudge, who blushed. He himself had given evidence against a friend of his who had been suspected of Dark Activities. He was from a well known light family, and nobody had believed that he had been involved, until Fudge had given the final piece of evidence. As it turned out, he was not guilty of those crimes, but the public had been easily swayed, and to this day that man was avoided like the plague.

"Well, anyway, once we have the public fully convinced of Harry Potter's 'dark activities', then we give the order to bring him in no matter what. Of course he will put up a fight, and in the process he will hurt several Aurors using very, very dark magic, that will no doubt land him a cell in Azkaban."

Fudge gasped. "But- he's only 13!"

"And a Dark Lord."

Fudge gaped again. "Wha-What? No, Lucius don't you think that you are taking this a bit to far? I mean, I am as fond of Harry Potter as you are, but I mean really-"

Lucius sighed. "Minister, the boy speaks parseltongue. His godfather is a murderer, and was once loyal to….the Dark Lord. Who knows what Sirius Black might have done to the Potters before his ultimate betrayal. Look, while I was imperiused- And please minister, I would like this to remain confidential- but I overheard Sirius Black bragging to the Dark Lord about how Harry Potter was beginning to show signs of Dark magic- magic that he Sirius Black had taught the young boy. This was before the Dark Lord made plans about attacking the Potters, so naturally he was pleased, thinking that somehow he could turn the Potter's dark."

Fudge nodded in agreement. "I always knew something was off about the boy! I bet that his parents used some sort of Dark Ritual to allow Potter to survive the curse! Thank you Lucius- this information is invaluable. The boy will be in a cell in no time, and a threat to the wizarding world will have been stopped again. I won't lie to you and say that this is perfect timing. The boy was adored by the public to much for my liking. Who knew, perhaps he was planning to lead a revolt against the ministry!"

With that, Fudge walked out of the office, with an air of purpose around him. Lucius Malfoy watched the door close, and allowed himself a small smile.

"Really, it was just too easy." He said, a cold smirk playing around his lips. Taking a handful of green powder from a small jar, he threw it into the fireplace, and in a cool, calm collected voice said "Malfoy Manor!" Lucius's smile before the green flames swallowed him was not a pleasant one at all.

* * *

Harry wheezed for air as he ran into the school yard. Three miles of sprinting was taking it's toll on the scrawny boy, and he collapsed on a bench, his chest heaving. Once he had caught his breath, he stood up and looked around him. No one was about- well no one should be about as it was 11 o'clock at night- but Harry wanted to be cautious.

Harry glanced distastefully at his large trunk that he had lugged behind him for the best part of an hour. It really was too heavy. Harry opened it, and took a belt and his Nimbus 2000 out. Then Harry grasped his wand, and muttered,

" _Reducio"_

The trunk shrunk to about a half a quarter of it's size, and using the belt, tied it to the end of his Nimbus. With a sigh, laid the broom down on the picnic bench.

'If I'm going to be expelled, then I might as well make use of magic while I still have it.' Harry thought, his eyes blurring with the thought of living with the Dursleys forever, without magic.

' _I'll go to the burrow, I think I can trace my way there….I remember the route from last summer….I think. I'll ask Ron for help- maybe they can contact Dumbledore and he'll explain everything.'_ Harry thought, his face brightening. ' _I can explain that I needed to get away from Privet Drive...I mean Uncle Vernon was going to kill me.'_ He shivered, remembering the look on his Uncle's face when he left the house. ' _Yeah- everything's going to be fine.'_

Harry's stomach rumbled, and he sighed. He hadn't gotten much to eat but...hey! He could sneak some food out of the school cafeteria. Merlin knew that although the school food was crap, he'd still get something in his stomach.

Harry snuck inside the school, using _Alohomora_ to get inside. There, he made his way to the cafeteria.

Inside the kitchen of the cafeteria, there was boxes and boxes of food. Harry's eyes widened. _If Ron can't help me then I'll have to fly to Hogwarts by myself. I'll need lots of food for that...Hogwarts is in Scotland and my Nimbus will only get me there within 3 days or so...I might get lost…"_ Harry cheerfully loaded boxes of food on top of each other. ' _This is going to be a real adventure! Finally, something fun to do on my holiday.'_

Finally, with boxes of chips, bars of chocolate,assorted fruits, pre-wrapped sandwiches, a boiler, some matches, some gasoline, a mini cooker he had found in the science lab- and assorted ingredients to make some proper food all shrunk and fit into his trunk, Harry was ready to go. He was rather proud of himself, and surveyed his floating broom with something akin to satisfaction. This was an adventure. And Dumbledore would sort this all out- explain that Harry hadn't meant to blow Aunt Marge up.

As he flew off in the air, and past the school, he failed to hear the distinct noise that signaled apparition. Down below in the school yard a platoon of Aurors were cautiously sneaking around the school yard- looking for Harry Potter, a most dangerous dark fugitive that had somehow managed to hide his dark abilities for 13 years.

* * *

A loud scream echoed from downstairs, and Ron awoke with a start. There was a loud noise of banging and tramping, that signaled someone running up the stairs very fast- and with a bang, his door flew open, and Mrs. Weasley rushed to his side.

"Oh my dear Ron- has that evil boy done anything to you? We need to bring you to the healer right now- who knows what dark spells he could have put on you…." Mrs. Weasley hugged Ron hard, smoothing his hair down.

"Wha-What's goin' on?" Ron mumbled tiredly, as his mother continued to fuss about him.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with tears. "James and Lily were always so sweet, I don't understand how their son could have turned out like this!"

Ron's eyes widened, and his sleep ridden mind finally grasped what his mother was saying. "Mum….are you talking about Harry?"

Mrs. Weasley put a hand to her head. "Don't say that boy's name in front of me Ronald! He is an evil, vile being! Just look- look what they wrote about him in the Daily Prophet!"

Ron grabbed the newspaper that his mother was holding, and read the front article, his eyes growing wider and wider by the second.

 **Saviour of the Light….Or Dark Lord?**

At 9:30, in Little Whinging Surrey, a family sat down to a meal, not knowing that it was soon to be disrupted in the most unpleasant way. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, Uncle and Aunt to the boy-who-lived served a delicious dinner, when Harry Potter, so called Saviour of the Light, decided to show his dark powers.

"He's always been a nasty little creature," Says Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. "I remember meeting him for the first time. He was 12, and he just had this air of...dark magic about him."

Marge Dursley, the sister of the boy-who-lived's Uncle, was enjoying the meal, when suddenly she found herself floating in the air. Mr. Potter had obviously become bored with the muggles, and had decided to amuse himself, by practicing a sport that the You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters commonly practiced. Muggle baiting.

The Aurors explained that Mr. Potter had used wandless magic to blow his Aunt up. This is not meant literally, I assure you dear readers that the poor muggle was quite unharmed. The ministry did a fine job of wiping her memory and reversing the horrible charm.

Potter then ran from the scene of crime, and summoned the Knight Bus- and tried to use false pretences to get on the bus.

"He said he was Neville Long-whatever." Says Stan Shunpike, conductor of the Knight Bus. "But me and Ern- we know our' celebrities. And he just wiped his forehead, and one look at that scar, well it was Harry Potter all right!"

The Aurors attempted to apprehend the Dark fugitive at his old muggle school, but Potter escaped before they could do anything.

Now, dear readers, you may ask yourself the question- why would our previously loved hero suddenly turn dark? Why would he turn his back on his parents legacy, and their sacrifices? Nobody knows, but the Minister intends to find out. It is a well known fact that Sirius Black was Harry Potter's godfather- who knows what the murderer might have done to the Potter's before they were murdered?

A final warning, to everyone who knows Harry Potter. Look out for him. Do not trust him. And report any sight of him to the Ministry by waving your wand in a circular pattern and shouting 5048!

 _-Rita Skeeter_

Ron read the article with growing confusion. ' _Harry….dark? That isn't possible!'_

Mrs Weasley, in the meantime was fussing around the redhead, her face pale. "I can't believe I ever thought of him as that 'poor boy'. Oh! And he came to this house last summer! Who knows what he might have done!" Mrs. Weasley looked positively faint by this stage.

Ron glared at his mother, feeling a sudden bout of loyalty to his friend. "Mum, be quiet! Harry's not dark! You'd be mad to think that! Who saved Ginny last year Mum? Harry! He's the best and most goodest-" Mrs. Weasley gave a slight protesting noise at the bad grammar but Ron continued regardless. "friend anyone could ever have! I can't believe that you would even think that Harry would do something like that! And his muggles, well relatives are just _vile._ Harry never really talks about them, but he said something about living in a cupboard- really mum!"

Ron ended his tirade, breathing heavily. Mrs Weasley looked at her son, a sad expression on her face.

"Ron… You forget that I fought against dark wizards. I should have known that….that boy was dark. I mean, the signs are all here!" She gestured wildly at the Daily Prophet. "I know it's hard to find out that your friend has betrayed you, but listen to who knows best. Minister Fudge and the Aurors. Come, let's get you a cup of tea and then I'm going to meet with a healer from St. Mungos. Who knows what kind of curses that thing might have put on you."

Ron deflated a bit, and his eyes looked rather watery. As his mother bustled out of his room, he gazed at the article once again. " _You are wrong mum. Harry would never do that."_

* * *

Harry lowered the hood of his oversized windbreaker. He was currently hiding in the tall grasses that surrounded the Burrow. He took a deep breath. Should he knock on the door?

Suddenly, the door to the Burrow opened. Harry quickly hid in the grass again, cautiously waiting to see who it was. To his relief, Ron appeared.

"Ron!" Harry whispered, urgently. "Ron!"

Ron looked around him, confused, but then spotted Harry hiding in the grass. He gasped.

"Harry!" He said, in a whisper. "What are you doing here?"

Harry gives him an odd look. "Well running away from my Aunt and Uncle, of course. What else did you think?"

Ron's face looks nervous, but he quickly hides it. "Harry…..the Daily Prophet ran an article about you. Said you blew up your Aunt. Is...is it true?"

Harry looked slightly guilty. "I feel really bad, Ron, honestly. It's just that she was saying stuff about my parents, how they were good for nothing nobodies. And….something inside me cracked, and the next thing I knew she was floating in the air." Harry grins at the memory. "To be honest, she deserved it. Anyway, I tried to run away- cause my Aunt and Uncle would probably lock me in my room and starve me for the rest of the holiday. So, I came here." Harry looks around him nervously. "I need to talk to Dumbledore. I don't want to be expelled Ron, for doing accidental magic. It was a mistake." Harry looks fearfully at his friend. "I can't stay at the Dursleys for the rest of my life without magic, Ron. I can't."

Ron looks at his friend, whose messy hair looked greasy, and his face pale. _How could Harry, of all people, be dark?_ "Harry look, the Prophet said something about you being dark."

Harry's face turned red. "Wha-what?" He said, in the controlled manner that he often used just before he would fly into a rage. "I'm what?"

Ron grimaced. "They're saying that you turned your back on your parents sacrifices, and that you've plotting against the Ministry with Sirius Black."

Harry looks confused. "Sirius who?"

Ron waves the question away impatiently. "A Death Eater who escaped from prison."

Harry frowns. "I would never, ever ally myself with a Death Eater."

Ron grins. "I know mate, I know. But my mum believes that you are a Death Eater."

"What!?"

"Ok, look I've got to go back inside soon, otherwise Mom will get suspicious. But we'll get ahold of Dumbledore. There's an old shed in the backyard. Go there, alright? And whatever you do, don't use magic. Dad said that people under 17 have something called the trace, so the Ministry can track where you are."

Harry nods. "Ok Ron. Maybe we should talk to Hermione. She always knows what to do."

Ron's face brightens. "Perfect. I'll do that as soon as I finish my chores."

Harry sighs, and runs a hand through his hair. " This is going to be hard, isn't it Ron."

Ron pats his friend on the back, sympathetically. "Hermione will sort it out- Dumbledore will sort it out. Don't worry mate. I'll bring you lunch, ok?"

Harry nods dejectedly. "Alright."

 **End of first chapter! Reviews would be greatly appreiciated!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Shack

_Dear Professor Dumbledore,_

 _It's Harry. Please help me! I've read those articles in the Prophet, and I swear, I swear I haven't gone Dark. I barely know any Dark spells beside the one that killed my parents, I swear._

 _But please help me I honestly didn't mean to puff Aunt Marge up! It's just that she got me so angry, talking about my parents- she said that they were nothing and she called my mum and my dad loads of horrible names._

 _Something snapped, sir. And I understand, that's not good, but I can't help it! It was like the time I accidently turned my teacher's hair blue in third grade. I didn't mean for it to happen._

 _Please can you tell Minister Fudge that I'm really sorry? I don't know what else to do, I don't want to go back to the Dursleys. Please sir, anywhere but the Dursleys._

 _Kind regards,_

 _Harry Potter_

* * *

 _Hermione,_

 _Have you read the Daily Prophet? It says that Harry's gone dark. I nearly laughed when Mum showed me- because Harry….dark? That's like saying that night and day are the same! Anyway, I think that the Daily Prophet has gone hopping mad, along with Minister Fudge. Dumbledore will sort this out. I know it. Poor Harry._

 _Anyway, I have a small surprise for you. It's hiding right now, because it's dangerous for it to be in the Wizarding world at the moment, but I'm sure you'll love it. Why don't you come to my house for a week or so, just before term begins? You can stay in Ginny's room- you girls are friends, right? Anyway, then we can talk about this situation._

 _See you soon,_

 _Ron_

* * *

 _Dear Ron,_

 _I can't believe the Daily Prophet, I can't I can't I can't. But….at the same time…..Minister Fudge knows best, doesn't he? But Harry simply can't be dark! I mean, it's Harry!_

 _I'd love to come to your house for a week. I think I might know what the surprise might be. I can't wait to see the surprise either! I've told my mum and dad about this, and they think it's simply horrible, condemning a child like this! SOMEONE OUR AGE FOR GOD'S SAKE!_

 _Sorry, I'm just a little bit worked up. And with that horrible man, Sirius Black on the run, well who knows what's going on with Harry! I just hope he's alright._

 _Lovely metaphor there, by the way Ron. Different as night and day. Did you come up with it?_

 _Love_

 _Hermione_

* * *

Harry stared at Hermione's letter with mixed feelings. On the one hand he was grateful that she cared….but her letter hinted that she might believe the Daily Prophet. He'd been in the shed for a week now, and he couldn't help but notice that every time Ron came and visited him, he became more and more uneasy. Harry knew that his family was probably wearing him down about Harry being supposedly evil or something. Ron had mumbled a few times that the Daily Prophet had interviewed his Aunt and Uncle. Harry frowned. No doubt they had been horrible about him.

Harry put the letter down with a sigh, and stared at the wooden ceiling. Ron had successfully managed to keep his family out of the shed for now, but Harry knew he'd probably have to move soon.

Harry still hadn't gotten a reply from Dumbledore. It aggravated him to no end, knowing that Dumbledore had received the letter, but sent Hedwig back empty handed. Harry buried his head in his hands in despair. Everything was horrible, so horrible.

There was a knock on the shed door. Ron entered, and Harry knew, he knew something was wrong. Ron's ears were red, and from the way he clutched the tray with Harry's food on it, Harry knew he was angry.

"You're welcome." Ron's curt sentence snapped Harry out of his thoughts.

"Oh, thanks Ron." Harry mumbled, avoiding Ron's glare. "Um...what's wrong?"

Ron's face seemed to get redder and redder. "What's wrong?" He whispered. "What's wrong?" He said, slightly louder. "I'll tell you what's wrong! I'm currently hiding a Dark Fugitive in my back garden. I just found out from Mum that anyone seen helping or hiding you will go to Azkaban and have their wand snapped. All the while, I'm seeing articles about you and learning things that I never heard about. For god's sake, Harry. Maybe you are really dark, I don't know."

Harry's face grew warmer. "Ron-" He began.

Ron's eyes flashed dangerously. "Maybe I'll just turn you in." He spat.

"No!" Harry cried.

There was some sort of cruel satisfaction in Ron's eyes. "How the mighty have fallen." He sneered. "Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, Dark Fugitive."

"Ron, I don't get it? Why are you so mad?"

Ron's mouth twisted. "Because they found out that you can speak to snakes, Harry. I knew that, of course, but I never knew that only Dark Wizards have that ability. I mean, I knew that, but I just thought maybe you were the exception. Apparently not."

"Wha-what?" Harry spluttered

"Yeah. And I also found out, Harry, that you shouldn't be able to do 'accidental' magic after the age of 11. Having a wand stops that or something. Funny, innit. Maybe you did use your wand."

Harry stood up and faced his friend. "Ron please."

Ron sighed. "I've always been second best, to Harry bloody Potter. But now, I can be Ron Weasley, Dark Wizard capturerer." There is an odd expression on his face when he says that, and Harry, despite the horrible rage that was growing inside of him, had hope.

Harry grit his teeth. "Wait, Ron, just wait until Hermione gets here. She'll tell you-"

"She's already here, Harry. And she agrees with me. There is a lot of stuff we never knew about you. Enjoy your last meal before Azkaban, Potter."

Ron slammed the shed door behind him. Harry heard the distinct sound of a lock turning, and murmuring outside.

 _What…..What just happened there?_ Harry thought. _Ron..Hermione…..my best friends just turned on me._ He sits on the shed floor in shock.

 _I gotta get out of here._

* * *

Ron sat glumly with his head in his hands.

"It had to be done, Ron." Hermione said, her eyes full of tears. "He's going to run, and he'll be safe. If he stayed here, or if he thought that we were on his side, he would try and talk to other people. Maybe the Ministry would come here and find him. Then, being the Harry he is he'd just say that it was all his fault. This way he'll be safe until Professor Dumbledore manages to get Harry out of trouble."

"You didn't see his face, Mione."

Hermione's eyes were full of tears. "Ron this is the only way." She said.

Ron shook his head. "Mione you didn't see his face." He repeated.

Hermione hugged Ron. "Merlin Ron, look- without us he'll be a lot safer. If he believes that nobody cares then he'll only try to save his own skin. He won't look back at us."

Ron's eyes were worried. "It's just that….." He sighs in frustration. "It's just that, somewhere, deep down inside of me….I was enjoying it. Enjoying that I had the control of the boy-who-lived- that for once I was the powerful one. Harry's always been the Golden Boy- but now he's fallen from grace. And I….I...deep down there was a part of me that was….just happy. Am I a bad friend, Mion?" Ron's eyes became watery. "I feel like one."

Hermione's face was compassionate. "Ron, it's normal to be jealous. I was jealous of Harry when he was Lockhart's favorite, remember? Sure, maybe you are more jealous of him than others, but remember, as long as you are his friend, and do what's best for him in these kind of situations, then you are the best friend he could ever have. Ron, you walked into a forest full of spiders for him. You hate spiders."

Ron's face began to brighten. "I don't hate them." He said, blushing.

Hermione glanced at him knowingly. "Ron, the last time you saw a daddy long legs you fainted. I was there, remember?"

Ron looked green. "Don't remind me."

"Come on Ron, let's go back inside. Harry should be gone by the time we're back."

* * *

Harry paced inside of the shed. He needed to get out- he knew that he has to get out before Ron alerted the Aurors.

 _I can't believe….._

Harry was just so angry, so angry that Ron and Hermione would do this to him. They were supposed to be his best friends! Hadn't he saved Ginny last year in the Chamber of Secrets? Shouldn't Ron owe him or something?

 _They were my best friends._ Harry shook his head angry. _How could they?_

Suddenly, while pacing around the small shack, Harry got the best idea. A few days ago Ron and Harry had discovered Fred and George's secret stash of fireworks. Harry smiled grimly. They'll do.

Harry packed his trunk, quickly and quietly. He shoved the blanket and pillow that Ron had given him into his trunk, along with the spare clothing. In the corner, he spotted some sort of canvas, and not really thinking about it, he shoves it in his trunk. Feeling guilty that he was technically stealing from the Weasley's, Harry got out a few spare galleons and leaves them behind on the shed floor, along with a hastily scrawled IOU note. Harry shivered, and not because of the cold. Feeling slightly guilty (poor Mr. Weasley), he put the most powerful firework in the pack facing the wall with the door on it. Then, striking the _Match of Destruction_ or so it said on the packet- Harry lit the firework. Above it, a countdown began. Huddling into a corner of the shed, he waited for the firework to go off.

* * *

Ron and Hermione were in Ron's room when they heard the bang. Rushing to Ron's window, they heard Mrs. Weasley screaming. The shed's doors were hanging off of it's hinges, and the wood was all splintered. Smoke was coming out, and suddenly, a figure emerged. Ron and Hermione looked at each other, and ran down the stairs as quickly as they could.

When they get out, Mrs Weasley was staring at Harry, who was lugging his trunk and broom behind him and out of the broken shed. Casting a quick spell on the broom, he glanced at Hermione and Ron. They winced, and turned away.

"Get….get back inside, children." It was Arthur, and he had his wand out in front of him. "This is a dangerous criminal."

Harry's eyes betrayed his hurt at Arthur's words, but his face was emotionless. After all, he barely knew Arthur. "Sorry, Mr. Weasley about your shed. It's just that Ron said he was going to call the Aurors. And locked me inside. So I blew it up with Fred and George's fireworks. Not dark magic. You can check my wand if you like."

Harry looked at his wand. "Never mind that. I've never done dark magic in my life. I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore will figure this out soon. Bye….everyone." Harry looked extremely uncomfortable with his goodbye.

Harry got on his broom and was about to take off when the Aurors arrive. Harry took one look at them, and shot off into the sky. Several beams of red light followed him, but with the agile twisting and turning of his broom, not one spell hit him. Soon, Harry was out of sight in the clouds, and the other Aurors had just gotten on their brooms. Ron and Hermione knew that Harry would be long gone by the time they were up in the sky.

Ron let out a relieved sigh. He and Hermione spotted an Auror heading their way, so they straightened, exchanging glances.

"Are you two Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger?"

Ron seemed nervous, so Hermione grasped his hand. He jumped slightly, but his face gained some color. "Y...y..yes." Ron stuttered slightly.

The Auror smiled kindly. "You two are the best friends of one Harry James Potter, am I correct?"

Ron closed his eyes. "That is correct."

"And what was he doing in your shed? Your mother has denied any knowledge of him in there, as well as the rest of your family."

Ron gulped. "Well, Mr.-"

"Jenkins."

"Mr. Jenkins, Harry's my best friend. And I don't think he could ever be dark. See, he saved my sister last year. And before that, he saved the Philosphers stone. More than you guys ever did. Did I mention also, that he's like my brother? So there is no way in hell- oops sorry Hermione- I mean no way ever that I would turn him in." Ron glared defiantly at the Auror. "Am I right, Mione."

Hermione crosses her arms. "Yes, you are."

Jenkins frowned. "Now look, since you are his two best friends and underage, we can cut you some slack. However, you both will have to turn your wands in for investigation, and be fined 100 galleons for harbouring a criminal. Since you families had no knowledge of you hiding Harry Potter, you'll only be fined 50 galleons each, however. Be thankful that you aren't being shipped off to Azkaban this second."

Ron and Hermione glared at the Auror. "Ok, thank you for that." Hermione said. "We'll be going now."

"Oh no you won't!"

Ron turns around and groans. "We forgot that we have Mum to contend with, Mione. She's worse than You-Know-Who."

* * *

Harry flies frantically through the air, flattened against his broom. He is more than aware that his trunk is slowing his broom down, but Harry doesn't stop flying fast until he sees a city below him. Harry slows down and hovers in the air. Opening his trunk, he pulls out his jumper and gloves- cursing when one of them falls out into the open sky. Aware that he might fall off his broom and into the city below, Harry quickly puts on his jumper and the one glove. Firmly grasping his broom again, Harry shivers in the cold air. He'd forgotten to put on his jumper before setting off the firework, and that resulted in a rather unpleasant chill as he had climbed higher and higher into the sky.

"Alright, Hedwig?" Harry glanced at his snowy owl which is flying beside him. She'd kept up with him the entire time, and Harry was grateful for the company. Hedwig hooted, and Harry closed his trunk and set off again, at a normal pace.

Soon the sky began to darken and Harry glanced at his watch. 7:00 PM. Harry sighed. He was still above this city, and he wanted to get into a more deserted area before he settled down for the night. And it would be less cold down below. Harry sped up on his broom again, and soon after an hour has passed the city and is over fields and forests. Harry began to descend, shivering as he realised that it was still pretty cold down in the fields. There was a large manor just a while away from the forest, so Harry comforted himself into thinking that he wasn't so far away from civilization.

Harry entered a small wooded area, and rummaged through his trunk for the canvas cloth that he had, well, stolen earlier. To Harry's pleasure, it turned out to be a small tent. Harry set it up, and then gasped as he realised that inside there was a table, small kitchenette, bathroom with running water and a queen sized bed. Harry pulled out the sheets from his trunk and laid them on the bed, before unpacking the rest of his trunk into the small pantry just beside the kitchen. Harry then made himself a sandwich and began to heat up some milk. Harry sighed and stretched his legs out on the small sofa that was just beside the bed. He should get used to this. There was no human company here, but Harry was used to taking care of himself.

Harry drank the glass of milk, sighing contentedly. Getting into the bed which was extremely comfortable, he let sleep wash away all of his fear and anger, and allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper into the dream world.

Everything was peaceful, until a loud shout outside of his tent woke Harry up.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3: Diagon Alley

Harry woke up, blearily rubbing his eyes. Outside of his tent, there was someone shouting, and Harry quickly grabbed his wand, and put his glasses on.

Emerging from the tent, Harry was relieved to see that it was just a muggle farmer. He hid his wand.

"What do you think your doin', ey? These are private fields, young man." The farmer said, sternly. "You aren't allowed to put tents up here. Where're your parents? They'll need to come pick you up and pay the fine. You're lucky I haven't called the police."

Harry desperately wished he could grab his broom and run out of this forest as fast as he could. But his tent with all of his things was still there, and that was his only means of survival.

"Um…" Harry stuttered, trying to think of an excuse. He rubbed his eyes blearily, wishing that he were still in his bed at Hogwarts, where he was the happiest.

The farmer took a proper look at Harry, who after a week of running and hiding looked terrible. He had a bruise on his eye that had been a result of the fireworks, and cuts on his face and arms- results of descending into a heavy forest on his broom. Harry wiped his bangs out of his face, revealing his lighting bolt scar.

"Oh.." The farmer suddenly looked uneasy. "Where are your parents, lad?"

Harry blinked at the man. "I...I…" Why couldn't he think of something?"

The farmer suddenly turned around. "I understand. Don't worry, I didn't see you here. It'll get better son, don't worry." With that, the farmer exited the wood, whistling as he went.

Harry gaped at the man. He then took a look at himself, the scratches on his arm and the bruises on his cheeks. The man must have thought that he was running away from his family- and for a reason! Harry grinned, and then sobered. The Dursleys had often hurt him- more minor things, like slap on the cheek or a whack to the knees, but it still hurt. Harry sighed. He better get going, and be more careful about where he slept.

Harry packed his tent into his trunk, and then hesitantly left behind one galleon on the floor of the forest. It was gold- and while for the wizards that wasn't much, to a farmer it would be worth some money.

Harry ate a quick breakfast; he would need it for the day. He then took stock. He currently had around a box left of sandwiches, a few milk cartons which would surely go off very soon, bottles of water, a few packets of crisps, more fruit and some other ingredients. He still had more than enough matches, and while scouring the tent, Harry had found some more matches and extra blankets and soap. The necessities. However, Harry calculated he had enough food for roughly a week- including the milk which was starting to go off.

Harry took one of the milk cartons with him as he mounted his broom- it was to much of a nuisance to have to get all of his supplies out when he got hungry. Then, Harry took off into the air leaving the forest behind.

Back in his cottage, Frank Bryce busied himself with making a cup of tea, and a long day of looking after Riddle Manor.

* * *

Harry wiped his forehead as he floated through the sky at a leisurely place. He was heading towards London now, and unfortunately he wasn't as near as he'd hoped he was having flown in a random direction when he had escaped from the Weasley's. Having stopped off at a little pub, he had asked how far London was from Little Hangleton- around 80 miles which would be around an hour on broom…..well if Harry didn't get lost like on the way to the Weasley's. Harry had spent around two days turning back and retracing his tracks trying to find the Weasley's house by the way he remembered.

Harry had thanked the barman- who looked vaguely concerned by Harry's bruises. Harry was quick to get out of the small town as possible. Making sure that no muggles could see him, he'd gone to the small abandoned graveyard just outside of the town.

He had then took off right by a gravestone, not noticing the inscription.

 _Thomas Riddle_

* * *

Harry nearly fell off of his broomstick in excitement when he saw the familiar landscapes of London. Descending quickly, Harry landed on top of a building. Going through the rooftop door and out into the street, Harry suddenly realised how flawed his plan was.

His plan, well his initial plan had been to go to Hogwarts. However Harry had absolutely no idea how to get there for one, and if he did get lost, he would need supplies. Thus, Harry had come up with the brilliant idea to sneak into Gringotts. The goblins wouldn't tell the Aurors….Harry hoped. He would get galleons, convert it into pounds, buy supplies and a map of some sort, and make his way to Hogwarts. There he would be able to see Professor Dumbledore.

' _Maybe Professor Dumbledore just hasn't gotten my message.'_ Harry had thought. ' _There's no reasonable explanation behind why he wouldn't answer me. Hedwig must have gotten confused."_

Now reflecting back, Harry had absolutely no idea how to get to Diagon Alley. He knew that the way in was the Leaky Cauldron, and that he had to have some sort of disguise to make sure that the Aurors wouldn't catch him…..but how to get to the Leaky Cauldron and how to make a disguise? Harry was lost.

Harry suddenly realised how utterly alone he was. People were giving him strange looks on the streets, which he wasn't all that bothered by (he'd seen much worse from the Dursley's neighbors and his classmates at the local primary school.) but he was still conscious of the fact that he had a snowy owl on his arm and a large trunk behind him. Harry heaved a huge sigh, whispered in Hedwig's ear- "Just circle around London. Find me in a few hours." and started to lug his trunk along the streets.

An hour later, Harry was so incredibly lost that he was beginning to get worried. Somehow, along the way he had ventured into the more darker, seedier parts of London, and was now hurrying through a dark alleyway, ignoring the leering look an odd looking man gave him. Harry shuddered, and broke out into a jog, his arm aching from the continuous strain of the trunk.

Harry burst out onto a main street, his chest heaving. It was a normal, busy street, and Harry found an empty bench and sat down, looking glumly at his feet. He would never find Diagon Alley!

"Mother why must we walk through these streets? Merlin, look at all these filthy muggles."

"Because, Draco darling, apparition is banned due to Potter's escape."

"Of course. Bloody Potter. Messing everything up."

Harry jolted. He furtively looked around him, and nearly gasped when he saw Draco Malfoy a few feet away from him. Harry never thought that he would ever be so glad to see Draco Malfoy. Quickly turning, Harry covered his forehead with his black hair. Harry cursed internally when he realised that he was still very recognisable, with his trademark glasses and impossible hair. He opened his trunk quietly, and pulled out a wooly cap that he saved for the winters, and a pair of sunglasses with only one eye glass in them (he'd gotten them for his 8th birthday, courtesy of the Dursleys). Harry then pulled the cap over his hair, poked the other lense out of the sunglasses. Satisfied with his slightly altered appearance, Harry keeping his head down, started following the Malfoys down the busy street.

"Mother how much longer? Pansy and Blaise are waiting at Florean Fortescue."

"Darling, what did I say? Two more minutes of walking. Stop complaining."

Harry winced as Draco looked behind him.

"Mother, there's an ugly homless muggle following us. What if he wants to steal from us? I hear muggles do that a lot." Draco sneered.

Harry gasped audibly, and slowed down his pace, allowing himself to be swallowed up in the crowd.

"Draco, I don't see anyone. Stop being paranoid."

Harry furtively kept behind the Malfoys. Soon, he'd spotted the Leaky Caldron. Harry decided that he'd need a new disguise- and a way to get into the pub. Harry stepped behind a telephone box, and opened his trunk once again.

Keeping the sunglasses on over his normal glasses, Harry switched the winter hat for his own wizarding cap from school. Harry then wrapped his Gryffindor scarf around his neck, covering his mouth, and then pulled on a large button up shirt. He then grabbed the pillow he'd taken from Ron's house and stuffed that up the button up shirt, while tucking the ends of his shirt into his pants. Harry then turned his black Gryffindor robes, and turned them inside out allowing the red and gold lining to show. Harry now had the appearance of an overweight boy- perhaps a second year. Yes, Harry decided, that would be his cover. He was second year. He was small enough for it, Merlin knew.

Harry stuffed his trunk into the telephone box, grabbing his wand, school bag and gringotts key, and hoping that no one would steal his trunk, went into the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry kept his head down as he waddled through the bar. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw that no one was looking at him. He heaved a large sigh of relief, and went to the brick wall where he tapped the bricks. They rearranged themselves, and Harry was hit with the bustle of Diagon Alley.

Harry saw, to his horror, a large sign proclaiming "Have you seen this boy?" With his face on it. The poster then said, "If you have, contact the Ministry right away!"

Harry felt a stinging behind his eyes as he saw a group of people looking up at the sign with worried looks on their faces. Why would people believe he'd gone dark?

Harry put that out of his mind, and keeping in the shade and away from crowds, Harry walked quickly towards Gringotts, holding his fake stomach up as it began to slip down. He saw the Malfoy's once, and was grateful that he'd had the hindsight to change disguises. It wouldn't do for them to recognize the homeless muggle that had been following them before.

Harry entered the cool interior of Gringotts, clutching his key tightly. Harry looked around him, and walked up to the main desk.

"I…" Harry coughed. "I would like to enter my vault." He gave the goblin the key, who looked at Harry astonished. Then, slowly, a wide grin spread across the goblin's face.

Harry glanced uneasily at the sharp teeth that were on full display. "Come with me.." The goblin said, in an undertone.

Harry followed the goblin into a more secluded area. He then pulled his scarf off with a gasp. It had been very warm in Diagon Alley,with all the crowds, and Harry mopped the sweat on his cheeks up.

"Mr. Harry Potter….am I correct?" The goblin said slyly.

"Yes." Harry said, not seeing the use in denying it. "And as I just said, I would like to visit my vault, it that's alright."

The goblin nodded. Harry didn't like the look in the goblin's eyes, however. "As you are a fugitive, and on the run, Mr. Potter, we of Gringotts feel that it is our duty….to turn you in." Harry started, but the goblin raised his hand. "Allow me to finish. However, since you are a wealthy client of ours….we find we can make an exception, a very special exception in your case. However, for us to turn a blind eye to your presence here, I think a small sum of galleons will help us."

Harry nodded reluctantly. What else could he do? "How much?" Harry grumbled.

The goblin's eyes gleamed greedily. "Around a thousand galleons, if you please."

Harry gaped at the goblin. "You're joking, aren't you? That's so much money!"

The goblin scoffed. "No it isn't. You forget, Mr. Potter, that you have only seen your trust vault. When you become of age, or are emancipated, then you will gain the status of Lord Potter. Not even the ministry can then freeze your accounts, because that is the magical law. However, if the Ministry gets a whiff that you were in Diagon Alley, they will freeze your trust vault. They have no access to the Potter vaults, however, as that is only for those of Potter blood."

Harry considered what the goblin was telling him. "You mean, you're telling me that if I become emancipated that I can become Lord Potter?"

The goblins sighed. "Yes, but only at the age of fourteen, Mr. Potter. I'm afraid that even thirteen is too young."

Harry scowled. "And what if they freeze my trust vault? Then what?"

The goblin shrugged. "Then you must wait a year, gain control of the Potter vaults and take it from there."

Harry sighed. "What is the amount of money in my trust vault at the moment?"

The goblin glanced around him. "I will tell you on the way there."

Harry nodded and followed the goblin into the room where the carts were held. Once they were in one and on their way down, Harry yelled over the wind, "So? How much?"

The goblin barely glanced at Harry. "Around 50,000 galleons are currently in your vault. Each year, the amount doubles... Well sometimes it differs. There were very strict instructions from your parents, Mr. Potter. It would take me some time to explain it all to you. Therefore, on the first of September, the amount in your vault will be 100,000 galleons- or less, like I said it depends. This all started when you were eleven."

Harry gaped at the goblin. "Wow, a thousand galleons will barely make a dent in that!" Harry said, happily. "And could you advise me on how much to take out, perhaps? I need to convert most of the money into pounds."

The goblin frowned. "I would take out around 1,500 gallons, Mr. Potter. Keep 500 of that in gallons, and then convert 1000 into pounds. You will have around….4,980 pounds."

Harry frowned dubiously. "But will I really need that much money? I don't expect to be on the run for that long. I need to get to Hogwarts and explain this all to Professor Dumbledore."

The goblin suddenly looked slightly sad, which in Harry's opinion was rather worrying as goblin's usually didn't care about wizards. "What?" Harry asked.

The goblin turned around. "Have a look at the newspapers, Mr. Potter. You need to catch up on the news. Also, you'd be surprised how much money you will need."

Harry frowned, slightly worried. However, he put this out of his mind, and focused on how to buy things without being noticed.

Harry entered his vault, grinning at the piles of money that surrounded him, and looked to the goblin, wondering what to do.

"Wave your wand, Mr. Potter, and think of the amount you want. Don't worry, no magic emanating from you can be detected by the ministry this far down in Gringotts."

Harry nodded, and soon he had three bags of gold sitting by his feet. "Alright, here's yours." He grumbled giving the goblin the money. "How do I get this into pounds?"

The goblin waved his hand, and the gold was transferred into a silver briefcase that had appeared. There was a slight rumbling sound, and when Harry opened the silver briefcase, there was stacks of neatly piled pounds in the silver briefcase. Harry beamed, slightly smug. The Dursley's didn't have this much money, Harry was sure!

Harry thanked the goblin, and stuffed the money into his school bag. As soon as Harry was out of Gringotts, the first thing he did was buy some owl feed. Harry knew that Hedwig could survive very well on table scraps, but he also knew that she loved the ready made stuff that the wizards made.

Harry then went on to Madam Malkins, and browsed around in the ready made section for robes. He bought a blue robe and a rather large hat to shadow his face. Harry then made his way towards the newspaper stall, and buying several of them, stuffed them into his bag. However, just before he left Diagon Alley, a shop caught his eye. _Magical Tents!_ Said the sign. Harry grinned, and looking at how much money he had left (around 450 galleons) went into the store.

"Hello how can I help you?" A shop helper materialised right beside Harry as he entered the store. Harry mumbled, and gestured around the shop. "Just browsing." Harry said, keeping his head down.

The store keeper smiled, and left to go attend to other customers. Harry inspected the different tents.

 _Dream Tent._ One of them said. Harry inspected the price tag. 2,000 gallons! Harry wondered what made this tent so special, so he went inside. Harry gasped when he saw what was there.

A king sized bed, with included covers and sheets and a small room next door that was designed as a sitting room. Three extra large rooms with the same king sized beds. A large bath, with all different taps and bubbles. A swimming pool. A large kitchen, with a stove and the wizarding kind of refrigerator. A sort of games room, with wizarding games such as exploding snap and gobstones. It had an exercise room and a wand dueling room. It even had a second floor! It had windows, depicting different scenes that Harry wanted it too. Harry glanced longingly at the tent, but with a sigh went to the tent that said _Holiday Time Tent._

This tent of course wasn't as luxurious, but it was just as nice. A nice king sized bed with included covers and sheets, a large bath, two other small rooms with bunk beds, a average sized kitchen, a small games room, exercise room.. Harry saw the price tag; 200 galleons- it was priced down because luckily for Harry today was a sale. Harry nodded to himself. This one would do nicely. Harry wanted to not only lead the Aurors off of his trail, but let the Weasley's have their tent back. Therefore, Harry had planned on leaving the tent somewhere where the Auror's were bound to find it.

Harry paid, sighing when he saw that he only had 250 gallons. Harry thought that he better buy the best in the Wizarding world. Tucking the tent package underneath his arm, Harry wandered out of the shop, mindful of the pillow underneath his shirt that was constantly falling down.

Harry was nearing the exit, and his breathing quickened with excitement. He would make it out!

"Hey! Watch where you're going, young man."

Harry looked up and immediately regretted it.

"Harry Potter…." Severus Snape smiled coldly, and grabbed Harry by the arm. "Going somewhere, are you?"

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	4. Chapter 4: Escape from the Alley

**So here is the next chapter….sorry for the cliffhanger before (actually no I'm not).**

 **I don't own any of the Harry Potter world that all goes to JK Rowling.**

Harry didn't know what to do. For once, his mind was just blank, panicking, with no plan whatsoever.

"Me?" Harry said desperately, in a final attempt to save himself. Snape's face was triumphant- vindictive, and Harry knew it was obvious that his poor disguise did nothing to shield his true identity if one looked as closely at his face as Snape was. "What...what do you mean? Harry Potter? Where?"

Snape's thin lips curled up into what might have resembled a smile, had it not looked so predatorial. "And this is when one can see why you would never have been a Slytherin, Potter."

Harry tried to wiggle out of Snape's grasp, who was currently holding him up by his shirt. He fumbled for his wand furtively in his back pocket, and clutched it. He then brought it closer to Snape's stomach, holding it loosely by his side- the man having not noticed yet what Harry was doing. Snape was still speaking, his dark eyes still fixated on Harry. Harry squirmed nervously as the man's hooked nose came closer.

"I wonder what all your little fans must think of you know, Potter." Snape's face loomed closer. " Glorious Saint Potter, dark wizard. How can one describe the disappointment your mother must feel, knowing that she gave her life for yours- only so that you could grow up and become the next dark lord-"

Harry grit his teeth, knowing that saying anything would only speed the man up into turning him in into the authorities. _He's just trying to get a rise out of me._ Harry thought furiously, as Snape's eyes glitter. _A rise. And nothing else._

Snape continued. "Of course, however, it's not a surprise, considering who your father is." He gripped Harry's wrist, and Harry squirmed as the grip got tighter. "Don't try to escape, Potter. Otherwise I might be inclined to...snap this wrist." Snape whispered. Harry gulped. He didn't know any healing spells and a broken wrist would be disastrous when trying to escape on a broom.

The grip on his wrist, by this point was unbearable. Harry was sure that Snape was going to break his wrist, so he brought his wand closer and closer to Snape's face- and then-

 **BANG!**

There was a lot of smoke, and Harry's ears were ringing. The smoke cleared, and he could hear screams around him, and looked up to see that the sign of the shop above him was wobbling dangerously. Harry cursed, and scampered out of the way. He couldn't see Snape- but Harry didn't care. He got up, and looked around him. Diagon Alley was in chaos; he could escape through the crowd. He fingered his wrist, and winced when he realised it was sprained.

Suddenly, Harry was blown to one side, against the side of a wall. He hit his head, and his vision swam. Harry retched violently, and groaned as Snape came into view. There was a large bump in the middle of his forehead, and he looked absolutely livid. Harry whipped out his wand with his non-sprained wrist, and cast the protego charm- just in time for Snape's rather nasty looking yellow curse to bounce off it.

Harry got up and stumbled. He ducked as Snape threw another spell at him, which Harry again didn't recognize. Harry knew he didn't have much time, and that he didn't really stand a chance against Snape either.

Harry retaliated at Snape with a jelly legs jinx, followed quickly by an Expelliarmus. Snape ducked the jelly legs jinx, and used a spell to turn the expelliarmus back and Harry.

"Protego!" Harry yelled, and then "Wingardium Leviosa!"

The spell caught Snape by surprise, and he began to rise. Cursing, Snape struggled, but Harry carried on lifting Snape, before violently jerking his wand upwards. Snape hit the top of the balcony of the building they were by, and Harry dropped the spell. Snape fell like a rock, and stumbled to his knees. When he raised his head, Harry knew he was about to fight for his life.

"Well Potter...it seems that what you lack in intelligence, you make up for in magical power." Snape's lip curled, and he got to his feet. "Unfortunately for you, however, you only have second year knowledge in spells, and you are fighting against a former Death Eater." He smirked, and leapt into action, his eyes gleaming with an odd kind of satisfaction.

Harry shivered, and immediately put up a protego. Snape's spell slammed into the shield a second later.

Harry fought.

He was mostly on defensive, shielding, and running behind the debris that Snape was creating. He was weakened, and didn't notice when Snape's bright blue curse hit him in the shoulder, sending him into a stumble. He noticed an odd tingling sensation in his shoulder, and looked down to see the skin turn blue. There was an odd squeezing sensation. Harry cursed violently as he felt his shoulder crack. He yelled out hoarsely, and his eyes watered. Obviously a nasty ice freezing curse. Harry tested his shoulder. It was definitely broken, cracked, it seemed when encased in ice. Luckily, Harry was using his right hand, and he carried on fighting, losing energy. He managed to land a jelly legs jinx on Snape, but not for long. Harry used another stunner against the man, and sighed as Snape was thrown back into a wall. He used the time to regroup, and gritted his teeth as he attempted to roll his shoulder.

Harry was aware that the most of Diagon Alley was still in chaos, but time was running out. Glancing round desperately, Harry shot the most destructive spell he knew; Bombarda Maxima. He didn't aim for Snape, and instead hit the wall behind him. The wall blew up, and Harry couldn't help but smile at the incredulous look Snape shot him before he was knocked out by a piece of flying debris. _Not as dunderheaded as you think, huh Snape?_ Harry thought vindictively. A vicious smile curled on Harry's lips, and he was almost surprised at how fiercely happy he was; that Snape was hurt, and he, Harry had been the cause.

Harry ran helter skelter through the streets, not stopping as he slammed into people. There was screaming, and Harry realised that it had not just been him and Snape fighting. Aurors had arrived on the scene and were trying to break up a fight between two men, who obviously had been spurred on by the chaos. There were numerous other battles going on around him, and Harry couldn't help but shiver as he heard a scream tear from a woman's throat as she was hit by a lime green curse in the middle of the street.

Harry managed to slip out of Diagon unnoticed, and ran through the Leaky Cauldron. He got on his broom as fast as he could, and soon he was miles away from London. It was only then that Harry allowed himself to relax slightly. He touched down in a small town, and nipped in quickly to a supermarket shop. He practically threw the money on the counter and ran out of the shop again, shivering. He pulled on an extra jumper (The large H standing out, a present from Mrs. Weasley last year), and lept into the skies again with his broom. The wind rushed into Harry's face, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. Harry gave a small whoop, and looped through the skies, a smile on his face. He'd escaped!

Harry flew for about another half an hour, until he saw a small wooded area, just outside of a farm. He landed, and quickly pulled out the Weasley's tent. He constructed it quickly, wincing as the wounds from the fight hindered him slightly. Soon the tent was sloppily erected, and Harry entered the tent and began his master plan.

Slipping out a small kitchen knife he'd bought earlier, Harry took a deep breath and cut the palm of his hand open- deeply. He winced, but didn't cry. Harry was used to pain, his time at the Dursley's making sure of that.

Blood welled up from the wound, and Harry smeared the blood in haphazard movements across the oak table that sat in the center of the tent. He then kicked a few chairs down, and took out his wand. He winced as more blood dripped from his hand onto the floor.

"BOMBARDA!" Harry yelled, and the oak table blasted apart. Harry felt slightly guilty- as this was the Weasley's tent, but he resolved that he would buy them a new one….one day. Harry quickly wrapped a bandage he'd bought at the shop earlier around his hand- the sprained, cut one, and then on further reflection also wrapped his shoulder as well, wincing again. He would find a way to heal his shoulder, but for now he'd have to be one handed.

Harry glanced at the now haphazardous tent. His plan was that he wanted to create a scene slightly reminiscent of all the crime scenes he would occasionally glimpse Uncle Vernon looking at on the television. Hopefully, then the Aurors would be led off his trail, maybe even thinking that Harry had been hurt by someone else. Blood was smeared on the chips of wood, and the tent had rips in it. Feeling satisfied, Harry ran out of the tent, and soon was in the skies again, but close enough to hear the pops that signified apparition. Harry's eyes widened, and he urged his broom further into the clouds, praying that no one had seen him.

Once he was a good distance away from the Weasley's tent, Harry let out a sigh of relief, and then winced as the pain from his shoulder fully set in. He'd been on such an adrenaline rush, that his broken shoulder hadn't bothered him as much as it did now. Harry's arms shook with the strain of trying to steer the broom in the clouds, so with a sigh, Harry lowered himself until he was nearly flat on the broom, let the broken shoulder and cut hand arm lie limply in the sky, hanging downwards, and gripped the broom with his good hand. He shot through the clouds, as he urged the broom on.

He'd had plenty of practice as a seeker to fly with one hand, but tonight was particularly hard. He was up higher in the clouds, and it was windy. A dull ache had set into Harry's shoulder, and the strain of the day was setting into his body. Duelling like he had in Diagon Alley was going to take it's toll on his body, Harry realised.

Harry dearly wanted to go to sleep. Eat, and then sleep, was on the front and foremost of Harry's mind. In fact, he was so caught up in his longing for those two things, that he barely noticed when a loud _HOOT!_ sounded from the other side of him. Harry wobbled on his broom, cursing.

"Hedwig you scared me!" Harry chuckled. His broom slowed down, and he hovered in the sky. Tightening his legs around the broom securely, Harry reached out with his non broken shoulder, no hands on his broom. Hedwig settled on his arm, and then slowly made her way up to his shoulder.

"Yeah, just remember- this shoulder not the other one." Harry chuckled. "Where have you been girl? I told you to come find me after I exited Diagon Alley!" He stroked her feathers. "Ok, well I can see your tired. Just stay on my shoulder, ok girl?"

Harry shook his head as Hedwig nipped his ear affectionately, and then set off again, but slower.

After a certain point, however, his arm hurt so much, that Harry decided he'd was a good distance away from the place where he'd put the Weasley's tent, and that the Auror's wouldn't find him. Harry gently dove through the clouds, his arm protesting as he gripped the broom loosely, to avoid falling off the broom. When he touched down on the grass, Harry got to his legs, and then promptly collapsed.

His head hit the soft grass with a thump, and Harry had to blink once or twice to get rid of the swimming sensation in his head. Slowly, he got to his feet, and yawned, rubbing his head.

"Dunno what that was." Harry mumbled to himself. Once again, he found himself in a large forest, and so Harry went out of his way to find a clearing that had no man made paths leading to it. After 15 minutes of stumbling around in the dark, Harry reached a small clearing in the forest, which was illuminated by the glow of the moon. He then set up the tent at a leisurely pace.

Harry had to grin when he got inside the tent. It was pretty amazing, what magic could do. There was a small owl perch in the corner of the room, and Hedwig immediately flew to that. Harry unpacked his trunk, putting all of the food away, and hanging up his clothing in the small wardrobe. The great thing about tents was that Harry could put all of his stuff away, and even when he collapsed the tent, Harry would still find his stuff exactly where he put in when he would set the tent up again.

Harry quickly looked around the tent again, sighing slightly when he saw the extra bunk beds. He dearly wished that his former best friends were here- that they hadn't… Harry shook his head. He still couldn't get his head around the fact that Ron and Hermione had...betrayed him? It was...so unexpected and….Harry walked out of the room, and into the small games room that had a wizarding wireless. Harry turned it on, and listened to some songs, before turning it off again. No doubt if he turned it to the right channel, he would be able to hear some news about his predicament.

Harry made himself a sandwhich, and ate quickly. He then took a quick dip in the small bath that was in the only bathroom of the entire tent (Harry wondered where all of his waste went….He told himself he would find out the next day) and then, with a sigh, went to bed.

Before he went to sleep however, Harry took a quick look at the Daily Prophet- hoping to see some good news…. But what he saw made the victory of today's fight fade from his mind. There, in black, bold letters, was an article that would be forever burned in Harry's mind.

 _Harry Potter called disgrace by Albus Dumbledore himself!_

 _Sources have reported that the atmosphere in Hogwarts has been tumultuous. Though the school term has not started yet, the teachers have already arrived, to plan the school curriculum. However, it is not just the lessons that the teachers are discussing, once source says reportedly. One of the main topics of discussions in the staff lounge is Harry Potter._

" _There's two sides in this debate." Our source says. "The side that believes that Potter is innocent. This side consists of around five people. Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper, Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff, Minerva McGonagall, Harry Potter's own head of house, the newest Defence against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, Professor Vector, the teacher for Arithmancy. The rest of the teachers will argue against them during lunch breaks. I must say, it provides for good entertainment. Sometimes I would step in, offer my own opinion. I must say, I would fight with the 'pro Potter' group...until the other day."_

 _One teacher noticeably absent in the "Pro Potter side" is the Headmaster himself, who was a sort of mentor to Harry Potter, according to our source._

" _Oh yes. Albus usually stays out of these discussions. I remember the Minerva looked quite shocked when he didn't defend his former student." The source recalls. "At first I thought the reason he didn't take sides was because he didn't want to cause strife among his teachers. But the other day, my whole view of this was changed."_

 _According to the source, there was a very heated debate going on in the staff lounge about whether or not Harry Potter deserved Azkaban. It was then that the Headmaster stepped in._

" _He said that he had had enough of this endless debating over, and I quote 'a worthless Dark Fugitive'. I was really flabbergasted then, because I had seen how the Headmaster had looked after the boy after all these years. Later on, I heard Dumbledore talking to his Deputy Headmistress- well you know, Minerva. He said that Harry Potter was dark, and therefore a disgrace. It was a bit harsh, I must say. I never thought that Dumbledore of all people would denounce Potter. But he did, and...well I was always unsure, but this decided my opinion. If the leader of the light tells us that Harry Potter is dark, especially if said leader was close to the boy, well, then Harry Potter is dangerous, and should go to Azkaban in my opinion."_

 _What does this mean for Harry Potter? And more importantly, how will he react to his former mentor condemning him?_

 _Written by: Francis Archibald._

Harry closed the newspaper, a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. This article truly derailed any set plans Harry had. He had nowhere to go, no plan to follow. Would he live the rest of his days out here in this tent? If Professor Dumbledore thought Harry, of all people, Harry was dark- well, then who would even consider helping Harry?

Harry felt numb, barely even noticing the fact that he had torn the newspaper in half during his mental tirade. Should he just turn himself in? Harry was without any plan, without any purpose. He decided to think about what to do tomorrow. Perhaps he would see everything in a different light.

He doesn't see the small article on the next page proclaiming, **"Sirius Black and Harry Potter, in league with each other?"**

And with that, Harry closed his eyes and entered the dream world.

* * *

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _His name is written on the wall two hundred times. Harry. Harry. Harry. Harry. A madman laughs. Screams echo- Harry sobs desperately._

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _The book of dark spells rifles and opens to the spell. Harry. Harry. Harry. Harry. Harry grasps his wands and speaks the words, his eyes ablaze with fury._

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _Harry_

 _It's heartbroken sobbing that wakes him from his spell. Harry. Harry. Harry. Harry._

" _I'm sorry!"_

* * *

Harry woke from his dream with a start. He was covered in sweat, Harry realised, and his sheets were tangled around him. With a sigh, Harry rearranged the blankets around himself, comfortably, but then changed his mind and leapt out of bed. He padded over to the kitchen, and made himself a glass of warm milk, using the heated stove and pan.

Harry grabbed a plastic mug he'd picked up earlier in the muggle store, and mentally reminded himself to buy some proper cutlery and dishes. At the moment, all he had was plastic paper dishes, plastic cutlery, and a few amenities that the tent provided, such as cooking equipment.

Sighing deeply, Harry sat down at the long table that was the 'dining' hall- inside of the kitchen, of the tent. He was at the head, and eleven seats stretched out before him. Harry placed his head in his palms, staring at the dark table, and the dimly lit room.

He was alone. All alone.

* * *

So of course, like usual, REVIEWS BECAUSE I LOVE THEM!


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